Written Answers Monday 10 January 2005

Scottish Executive

Environment

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-11985 and S2W-11986 by Lewis Macdonald on 19 November 2004, what mechanisms are in place to protect features of interest of Ramsar sites from damage where those features are not also listed as features of interest of the relevant Special Protection Area, candidate Special Area of Conservation or Site of Special Scientific interest (SSSI) covering the area concerned or where the boundaries and features of interest of a Natura site or SSSI do not match the features of interest of the Ramsar site in question.

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-11985 and S2W-11986 by Lewis Macdonald on 19 November 2004, whether the tests set by the EU Habitats Directive in relation to features of interest of Natura sites should also be applied to plans or projects with the potential to have an adverse affect on features of interest of Ramsar sites.

Lewis Macdonald: Scottish Natural Heritage have advised there are no features of interest of Ramsar sites which are not also identified as features of interest of a relevant Natura site or SSSI.

  They have also advised that there is no instance where the land within the boundary of a Ramsar site is not within the boundary of a Natura site and/or SSSI.

  The procedures in the Nature Conservation Scotland Act 2004 and the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 to protect SSSIs and Natura Sites ensure that Ramsar sites are protected.

Environment

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to progress implementation of the EU Environmental Noise Directive.

Lewis Macdonald: It is the intention of the Scottish Executive to implement the EU Environmental Noise Directive through regulations in the Scottish Parliament. Discussions with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport on some of the many technical issues associated with this complex directive are now nearing completion, and it is anticipated that consultation will be carried out early in 2005 with a view to implementing the directive shortly thereafter.

Health and Safety Executive

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many injuries that were reportable to the Health and Safety Executive there were in each prison in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The available information is given in the following table:

  

Establishment
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04


Aberdeen
2
7
11
12
6


Barlinnie
6
18
17
47
31


Castle Huntly
1
0
2
1
3


Cornton Vale
4
7
11
10
14


Dumfries
9
7
8
12
11


Edinburgh
9
13
18
21
15


Glenochil
25
13
19
17
13


Greenock
5
2
6
11
6


Inverness
2
1
2
2
7


Low Moss
10
8
14
8
13


Noranside
1
3
2
1
7


Perth
4
10
8
7
9


Peterhead
7
6
3
6
15


Polmont
7
13
28
13
28


Shotts
2
25
21
27
17


Total
94
133
170
195
195

Public Sector Staff

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in relocating public sector jobs to Scotland’s more rural and remote areas.

Tavish Scott: We are making good progress in delivering public sector job opportunities to Scotland’s more rural areas. The Lord Advocate and I are pleased to announce that the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will set up a small unit within the Procurator Fiscal’s office in Tain. We are also pleased to confirm the announcement made by the First Minister on 8 November 2004, that the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will make permanent a small unit within the Procurator Fiscal’s Office in Dingwall. These small units transcribe police interview tapes using the COPFS national computer database. Tain and Dingwall were chosen as the best locations for operations, offering the Crown Office a high quality workforce and good accommodation. These relocations use the local, high quality workforce to reduce costs and improve both productivity and the quality of service. This is part of the modernisation of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and represents Efficient Government in action. The unit at Tain will initially comprise a small team of three, and the Dingwall operation has 5.5 staff.

  The establishment of these small units in Tain and Dingwall represent another example of the Executive’s commitment to its relocation policy, and to moving public sector jobs to Scotland’s more rural and remote areas. I understand that the Crown Office will be considering other opportunities for the dispersal of jobs.

Young People

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding it has provided to Caledonia Youth in each year since 1999 and what additional funding has been provided to the organisation for the establishment of new clinics in Falkirk and Aberdeen.

The Executive has supplied the following corrected answer:

Malcolm Chisholm: The funding provided is set out in the following table by financial year. The Executive’s support for Caledonia Youth is in the context of an integrated project to provide start-up costs for the establishment of four new centres, and to contribute to the running costs of these centres and the existing centre in Edinburgh. Centres in Glasgow and Dundee have been opened. The centre in Falkirk, which will soon have its formal opening, and the proposed centre in Aberdeen have formed part of the project from the outset.

  

Financial Year
Funding


1999-2000
£9,000


2000-01
£159,000


2001-02
£124,800


2002-03
£307,700


2003-04
£469,000